President Bush has directed NASA to develop a genuine focus: manned flight, to the Moon and then beyond. The article has intriguing details, and we'll learn more when new federal budget details are unveiled over the next few months. Sounds like an huge improvement.
NASA plans to scrap its space shuttle fleet to pay for the agency's new plan to return to the moon and develop human space exploration systems, senior administration officials said.Posted by Alan at January 9, 2004 05:59 AMThe agency intends to return to the moon early next decade in preparation for sending crews to explore Mars and nearby asteroids, the officials said. Such endeavors would require a new generation of spacecraft, but in the interim, American astronauts would use Europe's Ariane rockets and Russia's Soyuz capsules.
Along with retiring the shuttle fleet, the new plan calls for NASA to convert a planned follow-on spacecraft — called the orbital space plane — into versions of a new spaceship called the crew exploration vehicle (CEV). NASA would end substantial involvement in the space station project about the same time the moon landings would begin — starting in 2013, according to an administration timetable shown to UPI.
The first test flights of unmanned prototypes of the CEV could occur as soon as 2007. An orbital version would replace the shuttle to transport astronauts to and from the space station. However, sources said, the current timetable leaves a period of several years when NASA would lack manned space capability — hence the need to use Soyuz vehicles for flights to the station. Ariane rockets also might be used to launch lunar missions.
During the remainder of its participation in space station activities, NASA's research would be redirected to sustaining humans in space. Other research programs not involving humans would be terminated or curtailed.
As part of its new space package, sources said, the administration will convene an unusual presidential commission to review NASA's plans as they unfold. The group would consider such factors as the design of the spacecraft; the procedure for assembly, either in Earth orbit or lunar orbit; the individual elements the new craft should contain, such as capsules, supply modules, landing vehicles and propellant stages, and the duration and number of missions and size of crews.
Sources said Mr. Bush will direct NASA to scale back or scrap all existing programs that do not support the new effort.
via the Washington Times